Name: Air-Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 16 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders ((about 8 tenders)); ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt; ½ teaspoon Black Pepper; ½ teaspoon Paprika; ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder; ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder; 8 slices Bacon (or 1 slice of bacon per chicken tender. Do NOT use thick-cut bacon); 3-4 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce

These easy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Fryers are made in 30 minutes with the air fryer! The savory seasoning blend, smoky, crispy bacon, and stick-sweet sauce make this family-friendly dinner a win every time.

A plate of bacon-wrapped chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and peas

My Kids BEG Me For This Dinner

Finding dinners the whole family loves to eat can sometimes be a struggle. That’s why (to me) there is no higher compliment than when someone tells me their kids loved a recipe. These bacon-wrapped chicken tenders are one of MY kids’ favorites, and I think you’ll love them as much as we do!

It’s EASY. We’re using simple ingredients + simple techniques to get major flavor out of this chicken tenders recipe. If you can whisk, wrap, and brush, you can make this air fryer chicken!
It’s DELICIOUS. A savory seasoning blend, smoky bacon (that actually gets crispy!), and sweet, smoky, tangy BBQ sauce all add great flavor!
It’s HIGH IN PROTEIN! At about 28 grams of protein per serving, this bacon-wrapped chicken can also help you hit your protein goal!

Happy cooking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

One thing you’ll love about this easy dinner is the simple ingredients list. (It’s mostly pantry staples!) Let’s take a look:

Ingredients for bacon-wrapped chicken tenders

Chicken Tenders. Boneless, skinless chicken tenders (sometimes labeled chicken tenderloins) are the base of this easy recipe. If all you have is boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you can pound them out to about 1-inch thickness, then cut them into even strips.
A Few Simple Seasonings. Next comes our spice blend, made out of pantry staples like salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. It’s deliciously savory and really enhances the delicious flavor!
Bacon (But NOT Thick-Cut Bacon!). You’ll wrap each chicken tender in a piece of bacon, so you’ll need one slice for each chicken tender. For me, that’s usually 8 slices of bacon. If you want the bacon crispy, you CANNOT use thick cut bacon for this recipe. It just won’t cook through properly. Use regular bacon, for best results!
Barbecue Sauce. Last, but not least, you’ll need your favorite BBQ sauce, whether it’s a jar of store-bought sauce (we like Stubb’s Smoky Sweet!) or a batch of our Homemade BBQ Sauce.
An Air Fryer! Then, for cooking, I highly recommend an air fryer (though I do have oven instructions in the full recipe card below, too!). We love this one, especially with a air fryer parchment liner for easy clean-up!

How To Make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making air fryer bacon-wrapped chicken, step by step

MAKE THE SPICE BLEND. In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk to combine.
PREP & SEASON THE CHICKEN. Pat the chicken tenders dry, then sprinkle half the seasoning on the first side of the chicken. Flip chicken and season with the second half of the seasoning mix.
ASSEMBLE. Wrap each chicken tender in a slice of bacon. I recommend starting with the larger end and working your way to the narrower end of the tender. Secure the end of the bacon slice with a toothpick, if desired, to keep it wrapped around the tender during cooking.
BRUSH & AIR FRY. Line your air fryer basket with a parchment liner if desired, then place chicken tenders in a single layer (you may need to cook them in batches so you don’t overlap them.) Brush the top side of the tenders with BBQ sauce. Air fry 8-10 min, or until crisp and bubbly on top.

FLIP & REPEAT. Then, flip the tenders and brush the other side with BBQ sauce. Cook another 8-10 min or until the bacon is crisp and bubbly and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
SERVE & STORE. Garnish with a little bit of extra black pepper or some dried parsley, if desired, and enjoy warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.

I think this chicken is delicious enough to eat on its own, but feel free to serve it with your favorite dipping sauce, if you like! Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard, Comeback Sauce…whatever sounds good!

Let’s Talk Side Dishes

Okay, so now that you know how to make bacon-wrapped chicken in the air fryer, let’s talk about what to serve with it! Here are a few of my favorite sides to turn this main dish into a full meal:

POTATOES. Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Oven Fries, Twice-Baked Potatoes, Roasted Parmesan Potatoes…you name it!
MAC & CHEESE. Or, swap the potatoes out for some homestyle (or boxed!) mac and cheese.
A GREEN VEGGIE. Some broccoli, Seasoned Green Beans, or the BEST Peas are some of my faves.
A SALAD. Or, swap the veggies for a classic side salad, arugula salad, or caesar salad!
BBQ SIDES. Play up the BBQ notes by serving these bacon wrapped chicken tenders with corn on the cob, watermelon fruit salad, potato salad, baked beans, or cornbread! It makes for a delicious dinner.

A plate of crispy bacon-wrapped chicken tenders brushed with BBQ sauce

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders

Use Parchment Paper Liners For Easy Clean-Up! You can find all different sizes and shapes online to fit your specific air fryer.

Use a Meat Thermometer. Checking that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F will give you peace of mind and ensure you end up with tender, juicy chicken that isn’t dry or overcooked.

Prep Ahead. Speed up your dinner prep by assembling the spice mix in advance. You can also season and wrap the chicken in bacon, then cover & store in the fridge until you’re ready to cook later. Then all you have to do is brush with BBQ sauce & cook!

Tricks For Crispy Bacon

Friends don’t let friends eat soggy bacon, so here are a few helpful tips for the best texture in every flavorful bite:

Use REGULAR Bacon, NOT Thick-Cut Bacon! Thick cut has its place, but it’s not here. It won’t get crispy enough. I promise. Thinner bacon = crispier bacon. (Also: I don’t recommend turkey bacon for this.)
Brush With BBQ Sauce. This helps sort of candy and caramelize the bacon. Plus it adds a subtle little sweetness that’s lovely with all the smoky, savory flavor we have going on.
Use The Air Fryer. You’ll get the crispiest bacon in the air fryer rather than the oven. If you don’t have one, you may want to finish your bacon-wrapped tenders under the broiler. Just a minute or two will be plenty!

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes To Try

drizzling sauce on huli huli chicken skewers

Air Fryer Huli-Huli Chicken Skewers

Lemon Parmesan Air Fryer Broccoli in a white serving bowl

Easy Air Fryer Parmesan Broccoli

gluten-free pizza bagels topped with mini pepperoni and mozzarella cheese

Gluten-Free Bagel Pizzas

Caprese Chicken

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Tap to Leave a Review

Air-Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders

Low effort and BIG FLAVOR are the name of the game with this easy air fryer chicken! It's made with a savory seasoning blend, smoky, crispy bacon & sticky-sweet sauce you'll LOVE!

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Print Pin Rate

Servings: Servings

Calories: 210kcal

Ingredients

16 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders (about 8 tenders)
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Paprika
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
8 slices Bacon or 1 slice of bacon per chicken tender. Do NOT use thick-cut bacon
3-4 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce

Instructions

MAKE THE SPICE BLEND. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk to combine.
PREP & SEASON THE CHICKEN. Pat the chicken tenders dry, then sprinkle half the seasoning on the first side of the chicken. Flip chicken and season with the second half of the seasoning mix.
ASSEMBLE. Wrap each chicken tender in a slice of bacon. I recommend starting with the larger end and working your way to the narrower end of the tender. Secure the end of the bacon with a toothpick, if desired, to keep it wrapped around the tender during cooking.
BRUSH & AIR FRY. Line your air fryer basket with a parchement liner if desired, then place chicken tenders in a single layer (you may need to cook them in batches so you don’t overlap them.) Brush the top side of the tenders with BBQ sauce. Air fry 8-10 min, or until crisp and bubbly on top. The flip the tenders and brush the other side with BBQ sauce. Cook another 8-10 min or until the bacon is crisp and bubbly.
SERVE & STORE. Garnish with a little extra black pepper or some dried parsley, if desired, and enjoy warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.

Notes

USE THE RIGHT BACON. It’s VERY important that you use regular or thinly sliced bacon and NOT thick-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon will not get crispy.
PREP AHEAD. Speed up your dinner prep by assembling the spice mix in advance. You can also season and wrap the chicken in bacon, then cover & store in the fridge until you’re ready to cook later. Then all you have to do is brush with BBQ sauce & cook!
DON’T HAVE AN AIR FRYER? BAKE THEM! To make these in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place an oven-safe wire rack over a sheet pan, then place the bacon-wrapped chicken on the wire rack and bake 8-10 min per side, or until it’s crispy. You’ll get crispier results with the air fryer, but the oven absolutely works too. You may need to add an extra 1-2 min under the broiler to get similar results!